Interviews

INTERVIEWS (English & Polish)

Your new album has just been published - which one is it?

Oh, no, please, not only mine. It is an accomplishment of the Duo Granat duet.

This is the 14th recording, not counting 15 DVD’s. The Last three albums during three years I recorded with Adrian Kreda . In 2015, we published DESTINY – with tangos by Astor Piazzolla and Argentinian romances by Carlos Guastavino. Next in 2016 with all six sonatas for four hands by Mozart. And in 2017 the album, we are talking about today- Concertos by Mozart and Bach for two pianos and string quintet.

What was behind your decision to choose these two works?

We decided to do it for a couple of reasons. First of all, we wanted to put together something big, spectacular, because we enjoy working on complex projects. Our inspiration came from our last double-album with all sonatas by Mozart. That was also a full piece of work, from beginning to end.

Finally, we realized, that there is no other album on the market like this- I mean with all of those pieces, and not with an orchestra, but with a string quintet.Altogether seven musicians. It ‘s very chamber-like. Each musician becomes an individual and almost a soloist.That way, we can explore the music in an entirely new way.

And last reason. We thought it was an original and valuable idea, that would be interesting not only for us- but also for our listeners.

How different are these concertos to play?

Everything is different- from articulation to the way you carry the musical ideas.It’s two different eras, two different pieces composed by two real-life geniuses. And they were both ahead of their times.For example, if you look at the fugue- the 3rd part of Bach C major concerto- you quickly notice the genius behind it.And in the case of Bach concertos, it is even better that we play only with four musicians. They are many moments where we play unison the same notes. The texture is also pretty complex, a lot of passages, motoric fragments. If you add an orchestra to this, there is always a risk of the sound being too heavy. With the quartet, with only four people, there is no such risk – instead, there is a wonderful dialog between the musicians, and the sound is light and joyful. And for example, Mozart E flat Concerto. It’s a very innovative piece of music.Only Saint-Saens, later Max Bruch or Poulenc decided to follow in those footsteps.Not Chopin, not Beethoven, they did not write anything for two pianos and orchestra.

Is it very difficult to find works for two pianos?

The repertoire is huge. If you want to find the scores, you will. Most of the pieces are officially published. But you need to remember that music for two pianos is less than for four hands originally written of course. However, we can find a lot of different arrangements for two pianos made over time.

Can you tell me something about the tradition of such duos?

The piano duet consists of 4 hands and two pianos. The tradition started with Mozart when he performed with his sister Nanerl during tours around Europe with their father, Leopold. There is even a famous painting by Nepomuk della Croce in Salzburg, that shows Wolfi playing secondo and Nanerl primo. So now the beautiful melodies would be played by the woman in the duet.

Anyway, playing in a duet is a lot of fun - looking for the same breath, the right sound, the right color and timing. When we use 20 fingers instead of 10, the piano sounds like the orchestra with neverending possibilities. It also teaches a lot of humility and respect to your partner.

How did you decide that this would be your artistic career?

My decision was very simple, immediate and forever. I remember the emotions ( many, many, many years ago) during my first ever 4 hands performance. I just felt that it was my thing, my world, and my way. I love playing in the duet, I like the sound, and how different it is. If I were born again, I would take just the same road.

Can you tell me something about the other half of your duo?

O yes, with pleasure, thank you very much for this question.

Let me start by saying that I have known Adrian for 25 years. He is like me. We share the same passion for playing in the duet. He holds Swiss, Polish and Argentinian citizenships. He is a real “porteno” from Buenos Aires but lives in Geneva. He comes to Poland as much as we need, very often, so that we can work, play concerts and record albums.

He is also a great arranger - all our arrangements of Piazzolla tangos or Maria de Buenos Aires operita are his work.I called him “ born to play in the duet”. He has an amazing eye for scores, and he reads notes just like a newspaper. Beautiful.

Musically he understands me without words.That’s very important, I would actually say it’s the foundation for a good duet.Pianists need to build a base, trust, feeling of security when they want to play great music.If you have that, you reach a different, higher level of performing, and the great journey begins...

And you have a lot of fun.I’m lucky to work with him.We spent days just playing, recording ourselves, and working on every single note and phrase- to make sure, it sounded the way we expected it. When he finally comes to rehearse we are pretty much glued to the piano.We never rest, never give up, practice several different programs, not only the one, that is currently planned. Thankfully, my home provides conditions, that allow us to play as long as we want, and at whatever time we want, without annoying anybody.

What about your interest in Polish music- as you have recorded a number of albums with rare Polish compositions, is that something you will want to return to in the future?

Ja, for our duet polish music, is very important. We prepared a special beautiful polish national program and perform it live very often.In 2014 the duo was commissioned by the Polish Radio to record several pieces by Polish composers including Scharwenka, Friedman, Moszkowski, Zarebski, Lutoslawski, and Maciejewski - unfortunately never published.But maybe one day will be a lucky day…

Maybe there is something you want to add?

I want to say, that it’s not just a result of the duo work.First of all , I was very well aware, about who I decided to work with, on this idea.I have known the Prima Vista quartet for many years. I was certain they would do a great job because they have a lot of experience in this field.

Thank you for our sound engineer- Ewa Guziołek – Tubelewicz, for comfort and focus during our sessions.Thank you also for our piano tuner Jarek Bednarski, and in order to the Polish Radio Music Agency for publishing this album, in such a beautiful way.

All these elements come together to create the final product. It’s always a result of teamwork.